Onsite San Bushman Walk & Dance

Wednesday brought a departure from our normal activities with Thakadu setting up an afternoon and evening with locals representing San traditions in both vegetation utilization and traditional dancing.

Explanation of San history and landscape uses.

Out for the afternoon bush walk to learn the traditional uses of plants previously walked by unnoticed.

San bushman and his son in traditional clothing, still worn today in some communities, particularly during rituals such as marriage.

San female with collected firewood and digging stick.

Here, students practice drilling holes in ostrich eggshells for ornamental purposes and, later, used a similar technique to make fire in the traditional manner.

The evening brought a large fire and traditional dancing, complete with both dancers and "clappers", who clap loudly to keep the rhythm. Here Courtney and Matt join the festivities.

San females adorned in ostrich eggshell-embellished skins tend to their children while on a break from dancing and clapping.